Odometer reset



' March 12, 1929. H.` JONES 1,705,018

ODOMETER RESET Filed Jan. 4, 1926 gjm/ventola s@ Mfr;

APat-,nad Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

HERMAN JONES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO A C SPARK PLUG COMPANY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN.

ODOMETER RESET.

Application led January This invention contributes to the art of registering machines, and is designed especially 'lier vehicle speeilometers. 1t is directed to the prei 'on of improved means for resetting a registering or a numbering wheel to its Zero reading or to any other desired reading. The invention aims specifically to make an improved reset Y'or the trip series of number wheels, the drive 1to1' the cseason7 set ol' wheels being un disturbed when resetting.

An object of the invention is to provide manually operable means to declutch the wheel o'lE lowest denomination in the trip set irom the driving inc-ans.

A further object is to provide means on the spindle ot a reset shaft to engage `for rotation means on the wheel ol lowest denomination simultaneous with. the declutching operation.

With the above and other objects in. view, a single embodiment oli the invention is herein. disclosed and shown in the drawing. In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional View of a part ot' an odometer showing the reset device applied. Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 1 represents a portion of the ca"`ng which encloses the speedometer and the odometer. Only a portion el'Y that casing and a part oi the odometer is illustrati-d Numeral 2 is a shaft mounted in the casing and upon which the trip odometer wheels 8, 4 and 5 are mounted to rotate. ltwill be understood that suitable provision is made use ot 'tor driving wheel 4; Jfrom wheel 5 and wheel 3 l'rom wheel 4. Inasmueh however, as this is no part of my invention no showing is made of this mechanism.

Into a recess on the face ot' wheel 5, which will obviously be the wheel of lowest denomination, is liXed a bearing block 6 having a circular openingr rotatably engaging the shaft 2. Secured upon the tace of wheel 5 is a gear 7, rivets 8 being shown as a convenient means of fastening the gear to the wheel. This gear has an opening which is angular in shape, Figure 2 showing the opening to be square, as at 9. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 2 is a worm gear member 10. At one end this worm gear member is constructed in the form of a spur gear 11. This spur gear 11 in engagement with a second spur gear 12 for the purpose of delivering power to a season series of number wheels. The worm gear 1() is driven by a worm as shown at 13. A com- 4, 1926. Serial No. 79,116.

paratively long .extension of reduced size is tormed on worm gear 1() and in abutment with the block G .shown in Figure 1. The worm gear 10 is positioned at its other end by a spacci' 14 between the casing and the spur gear 11. The extended end ot' worm gear 10 is square in cross section as shown at 15 in Figure 2. Slidable upon this square extension is a cam clutch member 1G. The end oi this cam clutch member engages the square opening in gear 'T under the inliuence of a sprin 17. This spring is seated in a recess in the end o'i the com as at 18 and also is in abutnient at its oppor te end with the worm gear 10. For the purpose oil? releasing the driving eomieotion between the worm gear 10 and the fractional number wheel 5 there is provided a reciprocating reset spindle 18. This reset spindle moves into the case at right angles to sha it 2. lVithin the case 1 the reset spindle is provided with a gear 19 and with a conical cam 20. Under manual operation the reset spindle 18 may be pushed inwardly, whereupon its cam 20 engages the cam member 1G and pushes it to the right, as shown in Figure 1, against the compression of spring 18. The cam clutch 16 is under these circumstances disconnected from gear 7 and the "traction number wheel 5. Also as shown by yhe dotted lines m Figure 1, the gear element 19 on reset spindle 18 engages the gear 7. In this position of the parts rotary movement of 18 inalres it possible to turn the .traction number wheel 5 as desired.

lith the arrangement described above it will be seen that a very simple clutch device is arranged wherein the clutch engagement with the fractional number wheel. The reset gearing is also in direct engagement with the traction number wheel, thus avoiding any intermediate gearing elements.

I claim:

1. In a device ot' the class described and in combination with a support having oppositely arranged side portions, and a shaft the two ends ot which are supported by said side portions; a plurality of number wheels rotatable upon said shaft and arranged at one end thereoi and constituting a trip odometer; a driving member located at the other end of said shaft and rotatable thereupon, and which member extended along said shaft and terminates adjacent the inner one of said number wheels, and acts to prevent movement oi? said wheels along the shaft aforesaid a gear carried by the inner one of said number Wheels; a combined cam and clutc member slidable along but non-rotatable upon the extended part of saidl driving member, and the inner end of which member and said gear have engaging and disengaging parts which form a clutch; a spring acting to force said cam and clutch member toward theinner one of said number Wheels; a rotatable andl reciprocating resetting spindle slidable in a bearing in said support, in a direction substantially at right angles to the shaft aforesaid, and the inner end of which has a cam adapted to engage the cam part oi said combined cam and clutch member to disen-l gage the inner end thereof from the gear aforesaid When said resetting spindle 1s moved along its axis; and a second gear upon the inner end of said resetting spindle adapted to mesh With said first mentioned gear to reset said number Wheelsu 2. The combination dened in claim l and wherein the inner number Wheel has a recess in which a bearing block is contained, and

against which block the inner extremity of 25 HERMAN JONES. 

